General Assembly Session 53 meeting 30

The President

Before proceeding, I should like to inform members of the Assembly that in a letter dated 30 September 1998 addressed to me, the Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations, in his capacity as Chairman of the Group of Western European and other States for the month of September, requests that the General Assembly hear in plenary meeting a statement by the Observer of Switzerland on agenda item 37, "Implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development".

Given the importance attached to the issue under discussion, it is proposed that the General Assembly should take a decision on that request.

May I take it that there is no objection to the proposal to hear a statement in plenary meeting by the Observer of Switzerland on this item?

Mr. Wibisono (Indonesia)

On behalf of the Group of 77 and China, I have the honour to address this plenary meeting of the General Assembly, which is convened to consider agenda item 37, entitled "Implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development".

It is my distinct pleasure to begin by extending congratulations to you, Mr. President, on behalf of the Group, on your well-deserved election and to express our readiness to work together with you and the other members of the Bureau in successfully addressing the many issues on the agenda of the fifty-third session.

Let me also express our appreciation to the Secretary-General for the several reports he has issued on this agenda item and for his efforts to substantively achieve the goals set out in Copenhagen at the World Summit for Social Development.

Social development is one of the most critical issues of the day. It was, in fact, the great importance which the international community attaches to social development that prompted the convening of a summit-level meeting to consider its myriad aspects and complexities and to devise a common world strategy which would lead to a general improvement in living conditions throughout the world. And, while the World Summit did succeed in strengthening resolve at the highest levels of government to find solutions to the perennial questions of poverty, unemployment and social integration and in translating that resolve into genuine, substantive and meaningful change, serious problems and obstacles nevertheless persist.

Three years have elapsed since Copenhagen. In two years' time the General Assembly will meet in a special session to assess how far we have come and what constraints have been encountered in follow-up activity. Yet at this point in time a discouraging trend is emerging whereby the enthusiasm so vocally expressed at the Summit is translating into little more than a superficial improvement in the human condition. Not only has the international community failed to move significantly forward since the World Summit, but the awesome force of globalization, which held such promise, is being squandered. It is not being harnessed for a decisive assault on poverty and unemployment and to end social exclusion, but rather is becoming yet another venue to press the advantage of the strong over the weak and to increase the gap between haves and have-nots.

The international community is now experiencing a slowdown in the growth of world output and trade, and stands at the brink of an economic abyss. At the same time, despite the pronouncements at the World Summit for Social Development, greater emphasis has been placed on anti-inflationary policies at the expense of those necessary for full employment. Within such a global environment, the goals of the World Summit for Social Development have become even more difficult to attain, particularly for the developing countries. It is therefore of great concern to the Group of 77 and China that the achievement of sustainable human development is becoming further removed from reality.

Today, in the absence of any substantial effort on the part of the international community to support its commitments with financial resources and development assistance, even the best efforts to eradicate poverty remain seriously hobbled. Three years after the World Summit, I am compelled to restate an old refrain: that a multilateral effort for development which includes a serious effort towards financing for development is urgently needed. In this regard, we can find some encouragement in the two-day high-level dialogue of the General Assembly, convened last month, which contributed to an increased awareness and understanding of the economic and social impact of globalization and the need for international cooperation to effectively address the emerging global situation.

The Group of 77 and China readily accepted that globalization and market liberalization presented new and considerable opportunities to enhance national wealth equitably, to increase employment and to further integrate global society. However, the concept of development as a special part of the multilateral support system has been replaced by the laissez-faire approach to the globalized economy. And recent history has brought to life the risks and challenges that come with following a single doctrine, with a number of countries now experiencing economic downturns and others plunging into devastating economic crisis and recession.

The recent financial crisis that has wrought havoc in Asia and reverberated throughout the world clearly illustrates the need for the international community to strengthen its management role in the world economy. We need to establish surveillance and regulatory frameworks on short-term capital flows and trade in currencies, while at the same time allowing for the liberalization of economies at their own pace. On a broader level, the current state of the global economy has proved that the economic development and stability of developing countries is in the long-term interests of the more developed countries, and that the international community as a whole has a vested interest in the social and economic well-being of all its members, not merely a select few.

The Group would therefore draw attention to one important lesson learned which demands further consideration: that the social and economic development programmes of the developing countries need to proceed within the context of multilateral cooperation for development. We need to return to the Summit Programme of Action and approach critical development issues on a sound and predictable basis. Concurrent with our efforts to revive this process through such means as the North-South dialogue, we also recognize the need for the developing countries to broaden and intensify South-South cooperation. Of great importance in this regard is the Group of 77 initiative on a South summit, to be held prior to the Millennium Assembly in the year 2000.

Turning to the institutional level, let me note that we in the Group of 77 and China welcome the efforts that have been made through the United Nations to forge an international consensus which not only recognize existing problems but seek agreement on how best to solve them. In this regard, we would like to commend the efforts that have been made within the Organization to promote an integrated and coordinated implementation and follow-up to all of the major international conferences in the social, economic and related fields. The activities of the Administrative Committee on Coordination, which established its thematic ad hoc inter-agency task forces, and the work of the Commission for Social Development, the Economic and Social Council and the newly created Department of Economic and Social Affairs is noteworthy. We are confident that these efforts will greatly contribute to the success of the special session in the year 2000.

Let me add also that we support the efforts of the Organization to formulate general guidelines and a common framework for national reporting. Certainly, national capacities to monitor and evaluate the progress made in implementing the Summit outcome must be enhanced. Equally important is an accurate and ongoing assessment of the global trends. The issuance by the Secretary-General of the report on the world social situation in time for consideration by the Preparatory Committee for the Special Session is therefore necessary. The Group would also join in requesting that the appropriate documentation be prepared by the Secretariat focusing on implementation of the World Summit commitments, particularly in the light of the current economic situation.

In closing, the Group of 77 and China would once again urge their developed country partners to join with it in genuine partnership based on mutual interests, common benefits and equitably shared responsibilities. The time for the international community to reduce poverty has long since passed; it should not merely echo the many cries for help. We in the Group will redouble our efforts for a strengthened role for the United Nations in promoting international cooperation for economic and social development, and, within our limited capacity, we will strive to implement the Declaration and Programme of Action. We will work within our means to undertake additional concrete work to move towards the goals set at Copenhagen.

Mr. Sucharipa (Austria)

I have already on an earlier occasion had the opportunity to congratulate you, Mr. President, on the assumption of your high office. I reiterate today our pledge to work with you and all other delegations for a successful outcome of this session of the General Assembly.

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the European Union -- Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia -- and the associated country Cyprus, as well as the European Free Trade Association member of the European Economic Area -- Iceland -- align themselves with this statement.

I gladly take up the invitation just proffered by our colleague from Indonesia to engage in a genuine partnership, and in that regard let me comment briefly on the agenda item before us.

The outcome of the Social Summit represents a milestone in the process of defining social development as an important component of sustainable development. The Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action proclaim that the ultimate aim of development is to improve the quality of life of all people. The heads of State or Government gathered in Copenhagen stated that the goal of social integration should be a society for all in which people have the right and the ability to participate in decisions affecting their lives. The Copenhagen commitments place the individual human being at the centre of development and ask for particular efforts to empower people belonging to vulnerable groups in order to maximize their capacities, resources and opportunities. They enjoin Governments to ensure the equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all women and men. The Social Summit recognized that democracy and good governance are essential building blocks for meeting the objectives of sustainable development, prosperity and peace.

The commitments adopted by representatives of 186 States in Copenhagen remain as valid and as comprehensive today as when they were agreed. The European Union is fully committed to the implementation of the outcome of the Copenhagen Summit. We welcome the establishment of a preparatory process leading up to the special session of the General Assembly in the year 2000, dedicated to an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the outcome of the Summit.

We pledge our support for a constructive discussion on these issues involving regional groups, States and international organizations, as well as all other actors in the field of social development, to bring about a meaningful outcome of this important event. We stress that the participation of civil society in these debates, including the preparatory process, is crucial to ensure that an even broader range of views is heard. This will help enrich our discussion. An open exchange of views on best practices and lessons learned, including of obstacles encountered, will allow strategies to emerge on ways to further implement the commitments and objectives agreed upon in Copenhagen.

Comprehensive and topical information provided on a voluntary basis by United Nations Member States on the progress made in the implementation of the outcome of the Copenhagen Summit -- in addition to the information that is already available within the United Nations system -- will be useful in this context. We are looking forward with interest to the general guidelines concerning the structure and common framework for national reporting.

The World Summit for Social Development was not an isolated event. Its outcome fed into and drew upon the targets, strategies and calls for action adopted by a great number of other United Nations world conferences and summits held in this decade. Taken together, the outcomes of these global conferences constitute a comprehensive development agenda with many cross-cutting themes. While the first responsibility for the implementation of the conference commitments lies with Governments, the United Nations system is an important instrument for helping them meet this challenge.

It is in this context that we wish to stress that both quantitative and qualitative data, benchmarks and internationally comparable indicators are needed to effectively monitor progress in the implementation of the outcome of the major United Nations conferences and summits, including the Social Summit. The European Union notes with interest that initiatives aiming at the elaboration of common indicators have been launched by, inter alia, the United Nations, the Bretton Woods institutions, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development/Development Assistance Committee and interested non-governmental organizations. We welcome the decision taken by the Economic and Social Council to devote an informal meeting in 1999 to the issue of basic indicators for the integrated and coordinated implementation and follow-up of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic, social and related fields. We are convinced that this meeting will stimulate better coordination of the ongoing initiatives within and outside the United Nations system.

The European Union also welcomes the decision taken by the Economic and Social Council to dedicate the high-level segment of its substantive session in 1999 to the role of employment and work in poverty eradication: the empowerment and advancement of women. These issues figure prominently on the Copenhagen agenda.

Some days ago, on 1 October, we witnessed the official launching of the International Year of Older Persons, which will be observed in 1999. "Towards a society for all ages" was chosen as the overarching theme for this year in order to highlight the fact that aging is a multigenerational experience. Preparations for this year have been pushed forward with remarkable enthusiasm at the local, national and international levels. The organization of national committees, conferences, workshops, networks and media strategies, as well as the activities of the United Nations consultative group for the International Year of Older Persons, have stimulated interest and action in support of the year. The European Union notes with satisfaction that a gender perspective is increasingly integrated into the preparations of the year, thus fostering and deepening our understanding of the role, the rights and the needs of older women.

The European Union holds the view that the fight against poverty must be placed at the heart and in the mainstream of international development cooperation. The Union reaffirms its commitment to meeting the target of reducing the proportion of the world's population living in extreme poverty by 50 per cent by 2015. We believe that policies that aim at energizing the capacity of poor women and men to shape the processes and decisions that affect their lives will eventually enable them to lift themselves out of poverty. Poverty eradication strategies have to give particular attention to the specific constraints faced by women in exercising their rights, claiming resources and gaining equal access to quality education, health care and other basic social services. Furthermore, we believe that the path to social, economic and cultural progress is largely determined by the living conditions that are offered to the young generation. Social impact assessments should be undertaken in the design of all policies to ensure that all people, in particular the poorest and those with special needs -- including children and persons with disabilities -- can fully participate and benefit from them.

We believe that the support of the international community both at the bilateral and multilateral levels is essential in helping foster an environment in which Governments take the lead in assessing poverty situations and developing national poverty eradication strategies and programmes. The mobilization of financial resources for poverty eradication, including from private as well as from new and innovative sources, and a more determined orientation of development cooperation to this goal need to be fully explored. The European Union remains concerned about the declining trend in total official development assistance. We recognize the continued importance of official development assistance and reiterate that efforts should be strengthened to achieve the agreed official development assistance target of 0.7 per cent of gross national product as soon as possible. We note the work that countries have undertaken in developing the 20/20 concept, and we are looking forward with interest to the outcome of the Hanoi conference that will be held on this issue this month.

The European Union maintains that an enterprising and inclusive society needs to give all citizens the opportunity to work and to contribute to broader economic and social development. We consider social protection as a productive factor and underline that economic reform has to be linked to social dialogue in order to enhance understanding and acceptance by all actors concerned. In keeping with the agreement reached at the Luxembourg jobs summit in November 1997, all 15 member States of the European Union submitted employment action plans to the Cardiff European Council in June this year. The new employment strategies focus on the following policy areas: enhancement of the employability of the active population, in particular of the young, the long-term unemployed and women; development of skills, training and lifelong learning; improvement of conditions for small and medium-sized enterprises and the self-employed; and, finally, strengthening the policies for equal opportunities between women and men as well as for people with disabilities.

The first ever World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth was convened at the invitation of the Government of Portugal and organized in cooperation with the United Nations in Lisbon last August. Representatives of some 140 countries, among them more than a hundred Ministers, discussed the broad range of youth-related issues, thereby intensifying cooperation between them. The Conference was preceded by the third session of the World Youth Forum of the United Nations System, which took place in Braga. This youth gathering was organized by the United Nations in partnership with the Portuguese National Youth Council. Both Conferences provided contributions to the further implementation of the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond.

With these and many similar activities the European Union and its member States wish to underscore their ongoing strong commitment to the results achieved in Copenhagen three years ago and to their continued validity for the benefit of all humankind.

Mr. Shen Guofang (China)

At the 1995 World Summit for Social Development leaders of various countries made solemn commitments with regard to the goals for social development and measures to reach such goals. Over the past three years since then, the international community has made great efforts and achieved positive progress in effectively implementing the outcome of the Summit. This is very heartening indeed.

The United Nations has now started preparations for the special session of the General Assembly on the implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development and further initiatives, to be held in the year 2000. At the special session achievements made and lessons learned in the five years since 1995 will be reviewed, and plans will be made for social development in the new century. The Chinese delegation would like to make the following observations in this connection.

First, social development strategies reflecting the specific characteristics and national conditions of the country concerned should be implemented. Countries differ in their economic bases as well as their political systems and cultural traditions. The priorities of their social development and the difficulties they face vary even more. Therefore, we believe that in identifying the line of thought, methods and specific measures for social development countries should seek to implement effective social development strategies and plans that fit their national conditions.

Secondly, international cooperation should be strengthened. Developed countries should contribute even more to the promotion of the global social development process. One of the three main themes of the Summit was the eradication of poverty. This is also a priority issue facing the vast number of developing countries. It is true that national Governments should shoulder the main responsibilities in realizing the goals of the Summit, but international cooperation and support are crucial to helping the developing countries to wipe out poverty and speed up their social development.

Thirdly, the role of the United Nations, as well as of other international and regional organizations, should be strengthened. Since the beginning of the 1990s a number of international conferences on the question of development have been convened within the United Nations system. The United Nations should play a central and coordinating role in implementing the follow-up activities. Specifically, the United Nations should mobilize and pool financial resources and promote technological cooperation. If the United Nations can do something concrete in these fields, that will be the most precious contribution to the implementation of the commitments made at the Summit.

China is a developing country with a population of 1.2 billion. It is faced with such formidable tasks as eliminating poverty, creating jobs and promoting social development. Since 1995 the Chinese Government has made tremendous efforts in implementing the commitments made at the Summit.

The Chinese Government has always made the elimination of poverty an important part of its programme for national economic and social development. The central Government strives to ensure resources input into this endeavour by earmarking funds and preferential loans for these areas every year. After years of untiring efforts, China's poverty-stricken population had been reduced from 80 million at the beginning of the 1990s to 50 million at the end of 1997. This summer China was hit by a huge flood, unparalleled in the past hundred years. A total of 21.2 million hectares of land was flooded and 223 million people were affected by the flood, which caused a direct economic loss of over $20 billion dollars. This has made our poverty relief task even more formidable.

China is rich in labour resources. Due to the reform of State-owned enterprises and a major readjustment of the industrial mix in the transition from a planned economy to a socialist market economy, China is now facing severe challenges in the area of employment, which has been aggravated by the Asian financial crisis. The increasing numbers of laid off and unemployed workers are putting more pressure on the issue of employment. By the end of 1997, 12 million factory workers had been laid off. The re-employment of unemployed and laid off workers has become a hindrance to China's economic development. To solve this problem, the Chinese Government launched the "Re-employment Project", which calls upon enterprises, jobless individuals themselves and society to mobilize, to look for jobs and to create jobs. At the same time, a large number of new jobs are being created by building more infrastructure, expanding service industry, opening up small and medium-sized enterprises and developing community services. The Chinese Government is determined to try every means to keep the unemployment rate in the urban areas at around 3.5 per cent this year.

China is a multi-ethnic country. Enhancing social integration and promoting ethnic unity are crucial to social stability and social development. For ethnic minority areas the Chinese Government has instituted a regional autonomy system. It also gives vigorous support to the economic development of these regions, with a view to realizing the common progress of the whole of society. The Chinese Government also pays much attention to the livelihood and well-being of vulnerable groups, such as the young, the elderly and the disabled. It has formulated a series of policies and laws to protect their rights and interests, encouraging and helping them to participate in social life and share society's material and cultural achievements.

With the twenty-first century just around the corner, humanity is still faced with quite a number of difficulties and has a long way to go on the road to social development. The United Nations can play a more active and important role in this connection. Countries should strengthen their exchange and cooperation in the social development field. We should draw on past experience and take action to further promote sustained development around the globe.

Ms. Arystanbekova (Kazakhstan)

The World Summit for Social Development was an important milestone in the history of the world community and was universally acknowledged as a forum which made a major contribution to solving the acute social problems that face mankind. At the same time, the ways proposed to solve these problems require further improvement, rationalization and adjustment to the real world economic situation.

It is therefore important, in our view, to further improve the ways of implementing the obligations assumed by Governments, stimulating active international and regional cooperation and disseminating positive experiences as important means of securing their implementation.

The delegation of Kazakhstan wishes to express its gratitude to the Secretary-General for the report he has submitted on the agenda item under consideration today. It contains new information on the implementation of the Summit's decisions by intergovernmental organs, including the Preparatory Committee for the special session of the General Assembly, the Commission for Social Development and the Economic and Social Council.

Moreover, while this information is important and useful from the standpoint of choosing optimal ways to solve existing problems, there is an urgent need for further, broader and more effective action at all levels to eliminate poverty, unemployment and social disintegration. The task is to come up with more effective and concrete initiatives for solving the problems identified at Copenhagen.

The delegation of Kazakhstan notes with satisfaction the activity of the three ad hoc inter-agency task forces established by the Administrative Committee on Coordination to develop a coordinated approach to follow-up of the global United Nations conferences, as well as the steady and comprehensive implementation at the country level of the policy recommendations adopted at these conferences and at the Copenhagen Summit. Undoubtedly, national mechanisms and structures will, in the future, have to take due account of the work of these groups, which have given additional impetus to activities to implement the decisions of the Summit.

I should also like to emphasize the important coordinating role assigned in this respect to the newly established Department of Economic and Social Affairs and its Division for Social Policy and Development. We, for our part, hope for fruitful cooperation with them in terms of the participation of national experts in the work of the seminars and workshops planned by the United Nations and their support for research projects, which will undoubtedly contribute to identifying the existing obstacles and methods of overcoming them more effectively in order to attain the goals of Copenhagen.

In our view, the work of the intergovernmental institutions, programmes and funds of the United Nations and its regional commissions, as well as of the international financial institutions, is highly commendable. Acting in accordance with their mandates, they have made an appreciable contribution to promoting productive employment, combating poverty, incorporating the gender element into development programmes, conducting the experimental phase of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework, developing guidelines and initiatives with respect to social capital, and so on.

Also noteworthy are the positive role of the United Nations in promoting the socio-economic development of the Central Asian region and, in particular, the development by the Economic Commission for Europe and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific of the special programme for the economies of Central Asia. The purpose of this programme is to assist the States of the region in intensifying their mutual cooperation and promoting economic growth and integration into the economies of the European and Asian countries.

Yet another concrete step in the implementation of the decisions of the World Summit for Social Development was the holding in Almaty in July this year, through the joint efforts of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Kazakhstan, of the regional conference "Central Asia 2010: Economic and Social Development Prospects". The main purpose of the conference was to assess the progress of the reforms and identify the main problems and tasks of the countries with transition economies, including the eradication of poverty.

Kazakhstan is committed to the ideas of renewal and is carrying out radical economic transformations aimed above all at raising the standard of living of its people. The attainment of the goals of the World Summit for Social Development in Kazakhstan depends on how effectively and consistently these transformations will be implemented in the future.

On 30 September this year, the President of Kazakhstan, Mr. Nazarbaev, put forward a comprehensive programme of democratization, covering such important areas as elections, political parties, Parliament, civil society, the judicial system, the status of women and the mass media. Serious steps will be taken to resolve acute social problems, combat corruption and optimize the national administration. All of these measures are aimed at further protecting and guaranteeing the rights and freedoms of every citizen of our multi-ethnic society.

One of the main tasks Kazakhstan faces today is to create a broad and reliable system of protection for the economic system and the socio-economic health of Kazakhstan's population. In accordance with the programme, an Economic Policy Council has been set up on a permanent basis to agree on policy measures and respond promptly to any turn of events in the foreign countries affected by the economic crisis and in Kazakhstan itself so as to protect the banking system, economic agents, consumers and the economy as a whole from harm.

The Government of Kazakhstan has also developed new approaches to demarcating the budgetary sphere and the entrepreneurial sector, drawing up and presenting a more transparent programme budget, and reforming social welfare mechanisms and new schemes for financing education and health care. A broad range of measures has been outlined, aimed at increasing employment and reducing unemployment levels.

The intention is to direct the resources of the State to programmes that promote economic growth and directly benefit the population in such areas as health care, education and vocational training. To ensure that the goals set are attained and the programmes adopted implemented in a coordinated manner, there are plans to organize the Government of the Republic on a better structured basis and to clarify the areas of activity and spheres of responsibility of its component parts, with compulsory subsequent accountability.

We are confident that these and other steps being taken in the context of the broad socio-economic and political reforms being conducted by the Government of Kazakhstan in the light of the recommendations of the World Summit for Social Development will yield positive results. We hope that these results will be useful to the work of the Preparatory Committee for the Special Session of the General Assembly on the Implementation of the Outcome of the World Summit for Social Development and Further Initiatives.

Ms. Morgan-Moss (Panama)

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